This spring break I went to my Grandma and Grandpa’s cabin near John Day, Oregon.  It takes about 5 1/2 hours to get there and it’s in eastern Oregon, kind of in the middle of nowhere.  When I got there I helped unpack and then started to play with my friends, Jesse and Caleb.  The cabin is mostly made up of logs and is super nice and cozy.  There are gravel roads everywhere that we can ride our motorcycles on and explore.  It’s about 4000 acres of ponderosa trees, sagebrush, creeks, ponds and cool rocks.  I packed my pellet gun and did some target practice on some cans that my dad set up. We built gigantic fires and burned some trees that my grandpa cut down.  It was actually surprisingly warm when we first got there and the next day it started to hail and snow.  Then by the next day it was sunny again but there was lots of snow on the ground near the fish pond.  We had a fire pit near the cabin and roasted marshmellows late at night.  It was really fun.  We stayed up really late one night and watched John Wayne.  We went on a hike and saw lots of deer and rattlesnake skins.  I love it over there and can’t wait to go back to explore some more.

Lucas – Purpose: To convince Mom that Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is better than Mochi Ice Cream 

Mom:  Purpose: To convince Lucas that my beloved Mochi balls are better than his chocolate chip ice cream

Lucas: Reason: You can always find chocolate chip ice cream in stores but it is usually hard to find mochi balls

Lucas: Example:  You can even find chocolate chip ice cream in convenient stores so no matter when you have a craving you can find it pretty much at any store

Mom: Reason: The mochi ball is a Japanese dessert that they sell in Hawaii and it reminds me of the islands.  They have tons of different flavors that are all amazing.

Mom: Example:  You can buy several different flavors at a mochi store and have more of a variety for your dessert.  Some of my favorite flavors are green tea, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

Lucas: Reason:  You can eat chocolate chip ice cream on a cone, out of the container, in a bowl, in milkshakes or make a sundae out of it.  Mochi balls you can only eat plain.

Lucas: Example: The ways to eat chocolate chip ice cream are endless.  You could even be so lucky to eat it on top of a pancake.

Mom: Reason: You actually get two desserts in one because the outer covering is rice paper and the inside is ice cream. 
Mom: Example: It’s a small dessert ball with soft sticky rice cake on the outside and ice cream filling on the inside.  

Conclusion: Lucas: Chocolate chip ice cream is so much better than mochi balls not only because it tastes so much better but also for the reasons I listed above. 

Conclusion: Mom: Mochi ice cream will forever be my favorite – they are unique, delicious and remind me of spending time in Hawaii with my sweet family.

What do you think is the best dessert?  

 

Hummingbirds slurp up nectar from flowers and they sometimes eat small bugs like house flies.  When hummingbirds are in flight, their wings beat 200 times a second.  Every 10-15 minutes they have to fill up on more nectar from flowers. Hummingbirds only weigh about 20 grams.  Hummingbirds are about 2 inches long They can fly up to 60 miles per hour.  They can hover, go backwards, sideways and even upside down.  Their life span is only about 5 years.  Their predators are bull frogs, orb weaver spiders, hawks and bass.  They are the smallest type of bird in the world.  The smallest type of hummingbird is called the Zunzuncito.

Lucas: Purpose: To convince Nash that the Kestrel is better than the wolf.

Nash:Purpose: To convince Lucas that the Wolf is cooler than a Kestrel.

Lucas: I think that the Kestrel is better than the Wolf.  

Nash: I think the Wolf is better than the Kestrel.

Lucas: Reason: Because Kestrels can fly up to 45 miles per hour.

Nash: Reason: Because the Wolf grows in pack’s.

Lucas: Example: A Kestrel can fly faster than a wolf can run.

Nash: Example: But the Kestrel can not run.

Lucas: Reason: Kestrels have better eye sight than wolf’s.

Nash: Reason: Wolves can run for a really long time.

Lucas: Example: Well Kestrels can also fly for a very long time.

Nash: Example: Well Wolves have a really good sense of smell

Nash: Lucas, for all the reasons I’ve given you did I convince you? Lucas: yes. 

Lucas: Did I convince you? Nash: yes.

What is your favorite Animal.  Between the Kestrel and the wolf who is your favorite?

Thank you for battling with me!!

Oregon’s state flower is the Oregon Grape.  Oregon’s nickname is the Beaver State.  Some of its native plants are blackberries, strawberries, sword ferns and cherry trees.  There are about 35,000 farms in Oregon and about 3,000 types of soil in Oregon.  Our state grows the most Christmas trees in the United States of America.  The state has about 98,466 acres in Oregon and 28% of Oregon is all farm land and that’s good.  Oregon’s tallest mountain is Mount Hood.  My brother thinks it has great ski slopes.  Sometimes when I hike with my dad I see wild blueberries and strawberries and we sometimes eat them.

Red tail hawks prey on mice, moles,voles, snakes, rats, rabbits and black birds.  Their predators are raccoons, great horned owls and red foxes.  They can reach diving speeds up to 120 miles per hour.  They can weigh up to 2 pounds.  Their talons can grow up to 1 inch.  They can live for about 25 years.  The oldest red tail hawk was 29 years old.  They are about 25 inches tall and their wing span is about 4 feet long.  Red tail hawks have hollow bones so they can weigh less and fly easier.  Red tail hawks got their name because they have red tails.  They live all through the United states, Mexico and Central America.

Barn owls prey on mice, rats, vols, bats and rabbits.  Their predators are other owls, hawks, opossums, raccoons and eagles.   They can fly up to 40 miles per hour.  They can weigh up to about 1.4 pounds.  Each day a barn owl will eat about 10 mice and rats a day.  Barn owls usually nest in hollow trees, on top of buildings and on the edge of cliffs.  Barn owls have great eye sight to see small rodents from long distances.  They are about 13-16 inches tall.  A barn owl’s feathers don’t make any noise when it flies. That’s because their feathers have soft edges so it doesn’t make a noise when in flight.

It’s hard for me to say what the most important thing is besides God since he created everything, but here are some important things to me:

1. Doing my homework correctly
2. Going on adventures, especially in the mountains 
3. Spending time with friends and family 
4. Eating good foods 
5. Getting exercise / playing sports 
6. Laughing and having fun 
7. Learning new things 
8. Challenging myself 
9. My crazy pup Oscar 
10. My hatchet 

What are some important things to you?

Great white sharks prey on sea lions, otters, sea turtles and fish. Some of their predators are killer whales.  When great white sharks lose their teeth they always grow back.  Great white sharks can swim up to 15 miles per hour.  They can weigh up to about 1,400-2,500 pounds.  Their life span is about 70 years.  They can grow up to  15-21 feet long.  They can jump about five feet out of the water.  Their teeth can grow up to 2 inches long.

Monarch butterflies are known for their long migration to California and Mexico reaching up to 3000 miles.  They begin this journey in the fall before the weather gets cold otherwise they wouldn’t survive the cold temperature.  Monarch butterflies begin their life as eggs and emerge as larvae who eat their shell and milkweed.  The larvae get fat and turn into colorful caterpillars.  They then make a hard coating around themselves and enter the pupa stage.  They turn into black, white and orange adult butterflies and their distinct pattern warms predators that they are yucky tasting and poisonous.  Some of their predators are wasps and birds.  They can live from 6 to 8 months.  The next generation of monarchs travel the same path as their ancestors and sometimes even return to the same tree.